Lesser-known Dems flex money muscle

Senate Democrats continued to hold a sizable advantage over Republicans in fundraising for competitive Senate races – and this quarter, some of their less-publicized recruits also picked up their fundraising pace.

Several emerging Democratic challengers demonstrated this quarter that they are capable of raising enough money necessary to seriously challenge Republican incumbents, even though they still face overall financial hurdles against well-heeled opponents.

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North Carolina Democrat Kay Hagan had her best fundraising quarter to date in her challenge to Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.). Hagan, a five-term state senator from the Greensboro area, announced that she raised over $1.6 million over the last three months, with $1.2 million left in her campaign account at the end of June.

Dole still narrowly outperformed Hagan, raising about $2.1 million in the quarter. And Dole continues to have significantly more cash on hand — $2.7 million — even after spending on several television ads touting her record on illegal immigration and her work on the tobacco buyout.

In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) raised $1.06 million, just barely outdistancing Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine), who raised just over $1 million. Collins still is in fairly strong shape for re-election: She has about $2 million more than Allen — $5.1 to $3.1 million — to spend, and has been leading by double-digits in most recent public polls

And Oregon state House Speaker Jeff Merkley (D), fresh off winning his party’s nomination, narrowly outraised Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) for the quarter. Merkley raised $1.42 million, compared to Smith’s $1.35 million haul. But much of that money went towards the competitive primary, and Smith still has about eight times as much cash-on-hand as Merkley ($4.5 million to $560,000).

One of the biggest fundraising surprises came from Nebraska, where Democratic rancher Scott Kleeb outraised former governor Mike Johanns (R) for the quarter, $700,000 to $683,000. The race is still a long-shot for Democrats, but the fundraising figures represent a symbolic blow to Johanns, who has extensive connections both in Nebraska and Washington, where he served as President Bush’s Agriculture Secretary.

In Alaska, Anchorage mayor Mark Begich raised just over $1 million in his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who has served in the Senate since 1968. Stevens had not yet reported his fundraising numbers at presstime.

Meanwhile, the Democrats’ leading recruits continued to post impressive fundraising numbers. Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner raised $3 million over the last three months, giving him a $5.1 million warchest to spend against Republican Jim Gilmore. That’s over 40 times more than Gilmore, who ended the quarter with a paltry $117,000 cash-on-hand.